Trunk-trimming



(No Model.)

H. E. GILSON'.

TRUNK TRIMMING.

Patented Mar. 12, 1889.

NlTE STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

TRUNK-TRIMMING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.

399,323, dated March 12, 1889.

Application filed April 6, 1888. Serial No. 269,877- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY GlLsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in 'Irunk-Trimmin gs, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in trunk-trimmings for the purpose of protecting and strengthening the edges of the trunkbody and corners of the cover or valance, as will hereinafter be more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a trunk provided with my improved angle and corner trimmings. Fig. 2 represents a detail perspective view of one of the trunk-body trimmings or angle-clamps, and Fig. 3 represents a detail perspective view of the corner and valance clamp combined for the trunkcover.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wher-- ever they occur on the different parts of the drawings.

a in Fig. 1 represents a trunkbody, and Y) represents the cover or lid of the same with its valance c, as usual.

lily improved trimmings are applicable to trunks of any construction or material of p which the trunk, cover, or valance is made.

For the purpose of uniting the bottom of the trunk-body to its sides, or for uniting the sides together in a strong and durable manner, as well as for the the trunk at the angles, I secure at the junction of such parts one or more of the angleclamps (1. .(Shown in detail in Fig. 2.) Each of such angle-clamps is made of metal with projections d (l at right angles to each other, as shown. The said projections d d are made of varying lengths, as shown, with nail, screw, or rivet holes d d in their outer ends, so as to prevent the nails, rivets, &c., from penetrating the trunlebody in a line coinciding with the grain of the wood or other material of which the trunk is made, or in substantially the same line of strain or attach ment, whereby the walls are weakened by the purpose of protecting rivet-holes formed at frequent intervals, and,

from which cause the material of which the trunk is made liable to give way, as is fre quently the case where a series of nails, rivl ets, &c., are driven in a line parallel with the l edge of the trunkbody. The prongs or pro- 1 jections on each angle-clamp (1 maybe of an i desired number, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. For instance, two, three, four, five or more may be used on each side of the said angle-clamp, but always in such a manner that one or more of said prongs shallbe of diiferent length than the other or others, for the purpose above mentioned. I prefer to make such angle- L clamps skeleton formed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2; but this is not essential, as they may be made solid without departing from the essence of my invention.

The angle-clamp may be of any desired length, and may extend the whole length, I depth, or width of the trunk, if so desired, and ihus dispense with bindings a1 the corners.

For the purpose of strengthening and protecting the corners of the trunk-cover 1 use and valance clamp and 3. The has a downto bemy improved metal corner combined, as shown in Figs. 1 said corner and valance clamp c ward angular projection, c, extending yond or near the as shown, and has in its lower end the straightl or curved arms or projections c c with perforations e in the ends thereof for receiving the nails, screws, or rivets,b v means of which the clamp is secured to the valance and its l cover. In addition to the perforations e I make one or more perforations, c, through i each side of the downward projection c, and l a perforation, c, through the top portion of l said clamp, as shown, for receiving fastening nails, rivets, &c. l Vhere an angular valance made of metal, 1 leather, rawhide, or other suitable material is used, as is common in trunk-covers, it is cusi tomary to miter such valance at the corners i of the trunk, and for the purpose of covering 1 such miter-joint I prefer to provide the top i portion of the clamp c with a horizontal projection, c, having a perforation, 6 for receiving a fastening nail, rivet, (to.

Where slats are used on the top of the cover,

lower edge of the valance c,

as shown in the right=han tl portion of Fig. 2, I arrange such projection on top of the slat and parallel with the side of the cover, as shown in said Fig. 2.

I'Ieretofore and prior to my invention atop corner-clamp has been made in two separate parts or pieces having no positive connection one with the other. An angle-clamp or bodytrimming has also been made in skeleton form, the several embracing-arms being of equal or substantially equal length, whereby the several attaching-rivets lie in the same or substantially the same line of grain of the wood. As the openings admitting the rivets by which the skeleton arms are fastened to the trunk-body necessarily weaken the line ot' strain upon which they are formed, it is evident that in order to preserve the maximum strength of the wood it is desirable that these rivets shall be attached in pendent lines of strain, in order that the full strength. of the wooden body may be utilized. I efiiect this result by simply making the arms (Z of the an gle-piece of varying length, whereby the rivetopening d in the extremities of said arms will permit the attachment of the line of rivets in several separate lines of resistance of the wooden body. The result is an increase of strength and rigidity and a durability heretofore impossible.

By making the cornerclamp e in one integral or solid part I am able to provide a cheaper, stiffer, and far more durable clamp than can be obtained by making the clamp in two separate pieces. In the latter construction, also, it will readily be seen that no substantial protection is provided against strain operating from within, and if the top is deep and heavy, as it must necessarily be with this form of clamp, the resistance to lateral strain is impaired also. l-iy dividing the corner-clamp into two parts its integrity is not only destroyed, but its strength, rigidity, resistance to internal strain, and durability are seriously impaired, to say nothing of the increased cost of manufacture and the additional trouble of attaching the parts. In the construction of the angle clamps, also, it should be particularlynoted that by forming the rixet-openings at varying distances from the angle to which the clamp is applied I obtain a much stiifer structure and avoid the tendency frequently met with in the old form of clamp by which the sides of the trunk are drawn outward by the strain upon the line of rivets, all acting in the same line and near the angle. This result is particularly noticeable in sample-trunks, which are subjected to hard usage and wherein aheavy shock is extremely liable to act so upon the trunktrimming as to warp the sides outward, owing to the strain thereon of the contents of the trunk. My improved clamp, however, avoids this objection by effectually supporting the walls at different distances from the angles,

different or inde- I and thereby preserving the true angular relation of the adjacent walls.

In rawhide trunks as now inauutaeturcd it has been found necessary to use upon the corners rawhide shields, kn own as bunters or corner-caps, and upon these bunters the corner-iron and valance-clamp are attached. This construction, which is shown in the patent granted to me December 26, 1SS2, N0. 269,569, requires the use of three separate parts 'to each upper corner and two for each lower corner, or twenty of such parts for each trunk. The economy and convenience of making the entire cornerclamp an d valance-clam p in one integral piece, and the advantages of such construction are too evident to require further explanation. It should be noted, however, that by forming the corner and valance clamp in one integral piece, the arms 6, so that the lowest point of their curved lower edge shall be in substantially the same vertical line with the corner or angle of the trunk, I provide an extremely simple, cheap, and durable construction, which wholly takes theplace of the bunters and the metallic parts thereon. Moreover, this device calls for a top of comparativelyshallow depth, whereby the trunk is lightened and the integral valance-clamps and corner-pieces afford such a resistance to lateral movement that the top and body por tion may be considered as practically a single structure. In short, my invention is, so far as I am aware, the first in which a top cornerclamp and val ance-cl am p combined have been formed of one and the same integral piece of metal.

hat I wish to secure by Letters, Patent and claim, is

1. In a trunk or similar receptacle, the me 'tallic angle clamp herein shown and described, the same consisting of a body bent to conform to the angular edge of the trunk, and having at varied distances from the verteX of said angle a series of openings or apertures adapted to receive rivets which pass through the wall of said trunk at different distances from the angle and in separate lines of strain, substantially as described.

2. In a trunk' or other similar receptacle, the combination, with the body or top thereof, of angle-clamps each consisting of abody portion bent to embrace the angle of the part to which it is applied, said body portion having arms or prongs varying in length, said arms being provided at their ends with apertures to receive rivets entering the adjacent walls at varying distances from the angle formed by said walls, whereby said rivets actnpon the parts to which they are attached in different lines of strain, substantially as described.

3. In a trunk or other receptacle, a metallic corner-piece and valance-clamp combined and formed in one piece of metal, the same and by curving IIO consisting of an angular body shaped to em- I brace the corner and overlie the top, and having a downWardly-projecting portion, 6, provided with arms 6, their lower edges curved below the edge of the top, said arms ha ving terminal openings 6, the whole being formed in one integral piece of metal, substantially as described. 

